Thoughts & Commentary
Theology | Culture | Apologetics
What is a skeptic?
Skeptics are people who discard the biblical worldview in favor of other ways to see the world. Some had nonbelieving parents. Some had believing parents who were legalistic. Some have been deceived by false teachers and false religions. Some have been turned off by hypocrites. Some have put their trust in material success and their…
The Four Kinds of Skepticism
Generally speaking, a person’s total worldview consists of how he sees the world in three broad categories: Spiritual, Moral, and Scientific. These three areas represent life’s big questions such as: What happens after we die? (Spiritual); Are right and wrong absolute? (Moral); How did life come about? (Scientific), etc. So Spiritual, Moral, and Scientific skepticism…
Never Use “to me” When Interpreting Scripture
“To me” may seem like an insignificant phrase, but look at this example from an interview in USA Today with star comedic actor Jim Carrey (emphasis added): “I discovered a new thing in the Lord’s Prayer that kind of hit me,” Carrey says. “‘On earth as it is heaven’ to me means whatever you take out…
What Does “faith” Mean?
If believer says something like, “I have faith that Jesus rose from the dead,” what a skeptic hears him say is, “I’ll blindly believe anything the Bible says.” The key to explaining true faith is to point out its connection to evidence. Faith is only as good as the object in which it is placed.…
What Does “saved” Mean
When believers use the word “saved” around nonbelievers, the likely response is, “Saved from what?” It might be disconcerting for some skeptics to understand that the first threat to sinful human beings is not hell or Satan, but God himself. Because God is holy and we are not, we must be saved both from his wrath…
The Bumper-Sticker “Wisdom” of COEXIST
A big reason people gravitate toward moral relativism is that it appears to promote peace and brotherly love. It is the worldview behind the ubiquitous “COEXIST” bumper stickers whose real message is not that all religions should just get along, but that they are all equally true–an impossibility. Relativism allows an individual to avoid moral…
Liberal & Conservative
“Liberal” and “Conservative” carry a lot of baggage and we often use them to define aspects of our worldview. But what do they really mean? I thought it might be helpful to define them in the abstract and let you apply them to your worldview as you see fit. Liberal/Progressive: The idea that the world…
Kindergarten Pulpit
Meet Kanon Tipton, four-year-old-preacher. Don’t let his age worry you, he’s been doing this for over two years and his church takes his preaching seriously. Both his dad and granddad are Pentecostal ministers, and his dad admits some mimicking is going on but that he doesn’t want to discourage him. But what if Kanon starts…
Great Quote: Mulder
In the episode, “Die Hand Die Verletzt,” from the classic X-Files series, Mulder & Scully investigate bizarre occurrences surrounding an occult group. As the truth is discovered that the group’s dabbling in black magic has resulted in mortal consequences, Mulder sums up their naïveté well with the rebuke, “Did you really think you can call up the…
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